Run Don't Walk
by AwesomeRainbows
Summary: Roxas was never expecting his life to change so much from one chance meeting, but change it did, and for the better. Every time he ran into the fiery redhead, he got drawn in one step closer.
1. Chapter 1

**Whooo~ So I wrote this story two years ago and posted it on my secret account of the time, but now, I decided to pick it up again. Three chapters are written, counting this one, so updates will be as soon as I revise those chapters. XD I'm lazy, so give me time. Then, I... hope to keep writing it... if I can get some inspiration. ;D Anyways... enjoy! Or... try to. ;)**

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><p>It was an average fall day, with leaves falling silently off the trees only to be crunched under someone's feet or raked into to be jumped into. However, for Axel, who had to be at work at Vexen's Halloween Shop, it wasn't so great.<p>

"Axel, get over there and rearrange that shelf," Saix commanded from his place behind the register. He was only a store manager, but he liked to act like he was the owner. He was certainly bossy enough to be.

The redhead sighed, slumping his shoulders as he walked over to the shelf that he'd been ordered to rearrange for the fifth time in the past hour.

"What does it matter? This place is deserted. It's Halloween Day already. Everyone already has their costumes. I bet you ten bucks we won't get two more people in here for the rest of the day," Axel said, pausing his work to shoot a glare in Saix's direction. Saix paid no attention to the glare, instead looking out the glass store front and smirking.

"I accept that bet. Now pay up," Saix said, nodding toward the front of the store. Axel turned quickly to look and groaned. A group of four people were walking through the door, one looking excited, and the other three not looking so thrilled.

After begrudgingly handing Saix a ten dollar bill, Axel looked back at the customers. The one who was looking excited had dirty blonde hair in a half-mullet, half-mohawk hairstyle, and soft blue eyes, the color of the ocean. The one behind him was a man with black hair that had a few gray streaks through it in a long ponytail down his back. As he turned his head to talk to the dirty blonde, Axel noted that he had an eye patch.

The man behind him had closely shaved platinum blonde hair accompanied by a small goatee and mustache. He also had multiple earrings lining the side of his ear. Finally, in the back of the group, there was another teen, with blonde spiky hair and deep blue eyes, who looked around and noticed that Axel was staring at them. Axel, realizing he'd been caught, quickly walked up to the four, flashing them a brilliant smile.

"Hello. Welcome to Vexen's Halloween Shop. Do you all need help with anything?" Axel said before bowing dramatically with a flourish of his hand. Then he stood back up, "The name's Axel. At your service."

"Well, dude," The one with the eye patch started, "This little dude over here talked us into trick or treating, so we need some costumes." He gestured to the mullet-mohawk boy beside him, who grinned in response. Axel nodded.

"Alright, well, costumes are in the back of the shop," Axel said, leading them to the back where the walls were lined with various costumes and outfits. Once they were back there, the mullet-mohawk boy ran over to the wall where everything hung, and grabbed an outfit, chuckling the whole time.

"Xigbar, I think I found the perfect outfit for you!" He said, running back to him to reveal a French maid costume, complete with black fishnets and everything. Xigbar chuckled, reaching out to ruffle the younger boy's hair.

"No thanks, Demyx. I think I'll pass, little dude," He said, and Demyx pouted, returning the costume to it's proper place. Axel cleared his throat to get their attention.

"So do any of you have any idea what kind of costume you're looking for?" Axel asked, and Demyx jumped up to speak for all of them.

"Nope! We don't have the slightest idea. I just convinced them to come trick or treating this morning. They kept saying they wouldn't come, but I kept begging until they gave in and said yes," Demyx said, grinning. Axel nodded, leading them over the one of the walls. He took an outfit down and held it up. It was a pirate costume that included a hat and eye patch.

"This would suit you well... and, obviously, you wouldn't even need the eye patch..." Axel said, handing the outfit to Xigbar, who took it and looked at it.

"I'm not sure whether to be offended or not... but this looks pretty cool, so I'll take it!" He said chuckling, and Axel grinned, walking to pick up another costume before handing it to the platinum blonde, who looked down at it for a second before looking back up and grinning. It was a long black outfit made out of tattered black material with a hood at the top.

"The Grim Reaper. Not very original, but definitely a personal favorite of mine," He said, and Axel noted that the man had a British accent. From beside him, Demyx flashed a huge smile.

"That's awesome, Luxord," Demyx said, turning to Axel expectantly, "Pick one for me next!"

Axel nodded and went back to scanning the shelves to find a suitable costume for the excited teen. After a few moments, Axel pulled one down and handed it to Demyx. It was a giant banana. Once Demyx saw it, his face lit up.

"This is the best costume I think I've ever seen!" He said, practically jumping with joy. Axel looked back at the group, his eyes resting on the blonde with spiky hair standing shyly behind the other three.

"Alright, three down, one to go," Axel said, looking around at all the costumes on the wall before taking one down, and handing it to the blonde. It was a plain white costume, the most simple of all. At the top were two neat holes for eyes.

"A ghost. Very plain and it won't draw attention to you. You seem to like blending into the background," Axel said, smirking as the blonde teen looked down guiltily, a small blush creeping it's way silently across his face.

"I guess I'm easy to read," He mumbled.

"Nah, I'm just pretty awesome at reading people," Axel said puffing out his chest and grinning at the blonde.

"Hey, Roxas. A ghost fits you perfectly. Right?" Demyx said grinning, and Roxas shrugged.

"Yea, I guess so," Roxas admitted. Axel grinned, victorious and headed for the front of the store.

"I can check you all out up here if you're ready," He called over his shoulder, leading the way to the cash register near the front door. They all checked out and paid, thanking Axel for his help before waving goodbye and walking out.

Axel sighed, already bored again, and went back to reorganizing the shelf again before Saix could tell him to.

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><p>Axel wrapped the towel around his waist and left the small bathroom, feeling refreshed from his quick shower. His hair was still dripping down his back when the doorbell rang. Sighing, he headed for the door and quickly pulled it open, taken aback when he saw who was at the door. It was the group he'd assisted that morning at work, all standing at his door. When they recognized whose door they were standing at, Demyx spoke up.<p>

"Hey, it's you! Axel, was it?" He said grinning. Axel nodded.

"Yea. That's me... but sorry, guys. I've got no candy to give you..." Axel said, shrugging apologetically.

"Nah, it's alright. We'll be seeing you then!" Demyx said happily, grabbing onto Xigbar's arm and leading the way off the small wooden porch. They all followed, but Roxas tripped on the last step, landing face first on the sidewalk. Everyone laughed, and Roxas quickly stood up, his face bright red as he hurried off with his friends.

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><p>It wasn't even until the next morning, when Axel was heading out the door, that he noticed the small silver phone lying in the grass. He leaned over and picked it up, flipping it open and searching through the contacts. He found the names Demyx, Xigbar, and Luxord, so he assumed the phone was Roxas'. Unsure of how to better handle this situation, Axel went back to Demyx's number and hit the little green dial button. It rang three times before the phone was answered by a rather confused Demyx.<p>

"Hello? Who is this?" Demyx asked. Axel figured he'd probably already heard that Roxas had lost his phone.

"This is Axel, and I'm guessing that last night when Roxas tripped outside my house, he dropped his cell phone," Axel said. On the other end, he heard Demyx whispering with someone else beside him before Roxas' also confused voice came over the line.

"Hello?" Roxas asked.

"Hey, Cinderella? I've got your glass slipper. You dropped it on your graceful exit last night," Axel said smirking.

"Oh, so you found my phone? I thought I'd lost it! When can I get it back?" Roxas asked, relieved. Axel thought for a second before answering.

"Meet me for a cup of coffee today in about an hour at Xaldin's Cafe. It's right down the road from my house," Axel said. There was a pause on the other line before Roxas spoke again.

"An hour? I'm a little busy then. How about later?"

"Nope, sorry. I'm on a rather tight schedule, too. You want the phone, you'll have to come then," Axel replied. On the other end, he heard the blonde sigh, then start whispering, no doubt with Demyx. After a few seconds, he came back on the line.

"Okay, fine. I canceled my plans. I'll be there in an hour," Roxas said reluctantly, and Axel smiled victoriously.

"Alright. See ya then," Axel said, clicking Roxas' phone shut. He grinned one more time then took off down the road.

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><p>An hour later, the small bell above the cafe door jingled when, just as he said, Roxas came walking in, looking around for the redhead. He was a little surprised when he saw him, not sitting at a table waiting for him, but behind the counter serving the next costumer. He looked up from his place behind the counter and grinned when he saw Roxas.<p>

"I'm takin' a break, boss," Axel called over his shoulder, slipping off his apron and grabbing two steaming cups. A guy with long black dreadlocks just grunted and nodded his head. Axel walked to a table near the large glass store front and sat down at one of the small circular tables, brushing off a few remaining crumbs from the table's previous inhabitants. After sitting the cups down, he signaled for Roxas to come over, who did so and took a seat across from the redhead.

"So, you have my phone with you?" Roxas said, raising an eyebrow. Axel nodded, taking a sip of the hot liquid. He shoved the other cup across the table to Roxas, who just looked down at it, still waiting for an answer.

"Aw, come on. Just relax a little. Take a drink. You'll like it," Axel said, nodding toward the small brown cup. Roxas sighed.

"Look, I just came here to get my phone. I don't care for having a cup of coffee. I don't care for small chit chat. I just want my phone so I can get out of here," Roxas said, tapping his fingers on the table.

"Well, somebody sure is impatient. That's certainly no way to be talking who's got something that you want," Axel said smirking. Roxas rolled his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Okay, fine. I'll ask nicely. May I please have my phone back now?" Roxas asked, and Axel shook his head, grinning at the blonde's annoyed expression.

"Nope. You gotta try that coffee first," Axel said, giving the cup another small push towards him. At first, Roxas just stared at it, but finally, he gave in, sighing before picking up the steaming cup and pressing it to his mouth, taking a long sip. He paused for a second then looked reluctantly back at Axel.

"That actually wasn't... half bad," Roxas admitted, and Axel looked pleased.

"I told you. Well, now that you admitted you like the coffee, you gotta stay here until you finish it," Axel said, smirking as Roxas sighed.

"You. Are. Crazy," Roxas said, causing Axel to smile even wider.

"Why, thank you," Axel said, bowing his head modestly. Roxas took another sip of his drink, obviously in a hurry to finish it and get out. After a few moments of silence, however, Roxas sighed reluctantly and looked back up at Axel.

"So... How come you work here? Don't you have a job at that Halloween store?" Roxas said, taking another huge gulp of his drink, wincing in pain as it burned his throat on the way down.

"Yea, I work here and there. Actually, that place is just a seasonal store and will move out soon, but that's fine with me. You see, I've got lots of jobs. I'm busy almost all day. After I get off work here, I've got to go work at the Halloween shop again. Like I said on the phone this morning, I've got quite a busy schedule," Axel said, sipping his drink again. Roxas just nodded, taking another sip of the still steaming coffee and letting them fall back into silence. However, it didn't last long.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Axel asked curiously, tilting his head to stare at the blonde.

"Why do you have so many jobs?" Roxas said, looking fixedly at Axel, waiting for a reply. Roxas tipped the cup toward his face again, but nothing came out. He'd finished it all.

"I dunno. I've got my reasons... and _you've_ got no coffee left, so you're free to leave now," Axel said, pulling out Roxas' phone of his pocket. Before he handed it to him though, he flipped it open and typed something in, closing it once he was done and handing it to Roxas. Roxas took the phone silently, looking down at his empty cup almost sadly, as if he sorta wished he had an excuse to stay for just a little longer.

"I entered my number in there. If you ever get bored or something, just text me, kay?" Axel said, winking before scooting out his chair and going back to his place behind the counter. Roxas got up and started walking away, hesitating by the door before turning around and waving quickly then walking out the door without looking back.

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><p><strong>Right. Well. Reviews are much loved and appreciated! Lemme know what you thought~ ;D<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2~! So, I'm not sure what to think of this, but... here it is! Trying to update regularly is a hard thing to do, but I'm working on it. ;D Enjoy~!**

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><p>Roxas was generally a nice, easy going person, but there was just one thing he couldn't stand: people calling him when he was sleeping. So his irritation was understandable when his phone jerked him out of his sleep, at only eleven o clock, a good three hours before Roxas normally woke up. It was the weekend afterall. He sighed and jerked his cell phone off his nightstand, flipping it open as he brought it to his ear.<p>

"Hello?" Roxas mumbled angrily, not even bother to see who'd called him.

"Hey, Roxas? I hope I didn't wake you up. I know you normally sleep until at least one, but I need a favor from you," Demyx said on the other line. Roxas sighed and sat up in his bed.

"What do you need, Demyx?"

"Well... I woke up this morning, and I decided I wanted to take a walk, so I went out for a walk, and I got back to my apartment only to find that I locked myself out. I can't find my spare key, and I don't know what to do because I'm just standing here and I'm getting bored, but I know I gave you a key to my apartment right? So I was thinking maybe you could just bring it over to me and then you could let me in and I could finally get back into my apartment and everything would be good, so then I wouldn't have to worry. So! Do you think you could bring it over to me? Hope I didn't wake you up!" Demyx said, never once pausing for a breath while he rambled on. Roxas sighed.

"... Sure, Demyx. I'll be right over. Just give me a few minutes," Roxas said, opening his nightstand drawer and sifting through it until he pulled out the small apartment key Demyx had gotten made for him.

"Alright, Roxas. See ya in a few, then. Bye!" Demyx said, hanging up. Roxas stood up and got dressed quickly, and walked quickly out of his room, making sure to tiptoe past his parents room. He was the only one of his friends who still lived with his parents, but he was only a senior in high school, so he didn't really have a reason to leave yet.

Once he was out of the house, he started walking down his street in the direction of Demyx's apartment building. A few minutes later, it started to rain lightly. Sighing, Roxas started walking faster through the grass. It started to rain harder, so Roxas started jogging, but felt something fall out of his pocket. He reached into his pocket, only to find that it was the key that had fallen out. Groaning, he got down on his knees, searching in vain among the large patch of grass for the tiny silver key.

By this point, the rain was pouring. Today was just not a good day for Roxas. He kept searching through the grass, hoping that he could just find it quickly and run to Demyx's apartment, when suddenly, the rain stopped hitting him. He looked up and saw that it was still pouring, so why wasn't it hitting him? He turned around, and was shocked to see Axel standing there calmly, holding an umbrella over Roxas' head, one hand in his coat pocket, all the while getting drenched himself.

"Axel? What are you doing here?" Roxas said. Axel looked down at Roxas, still crouched on the ground, and smiled.

"I was just going to work, but my car wasn't working, so I decided to walk, and I just so happened to pass you, looking awfully pathetic searching through the grass for something, so I chose to do something nice and come share my umbrella," Axel explained, not even seeming to notice or care that he was nearly drenched all the way through.

"Well... Thanks. I was just taking Demyx a spare key to his apartment, since he locked himself out... again, but I dropped it in the grass," Roxas said, biting his lip. He turned back to the grass continuing his search.

"Here, hold this," Axel said, handing the blonde his umbrella, who took it while Axel leaned over and picked up the key, handing it to Roxas and taking back his umbrella.

"I've got a good eye," Axel explained, smiling smugly, and Roxas smiled.

"Thanks. I guess... I should be going now," Roxas said, and Axel held out an arm to stop him.

"It's still pouring. I'll walk with you and you can share the umbrella with me... but you've got to lead the way, 'cause I have no idea how to get there," Axel said, and Roxas grinned again.

"Thanks," He said, taking off towards Demyx's apartment after shoving the key into his pocket. They walked in silence for a few seconds, until Roxas turned to Axel.

"Hey, wait... You said you were on your way to work. Won't you be late?" Roxas asked, and Axel shrugged.

"Nah, I left early. I've still got over an hour," Axel said nonchalantly. Roxas just nodded, letting them continue their walk in silence as the rain poured ever harder. After a few minutes, they came to a large building that Roxas stopped at.

"Well, this is Demyx's building... but, you know... You're soaking wet. I bet Demyx wouldn't mind if you came in and dried off a bit," Roxas said, and Axel shrugged.

"Ah, I dunno. I hate to impose... buuut if you insist," Axel said grinning, as he closed his umbrella and walking the building with Roxas, who led him up the set of the stairs to the third floor, where Demyx was sitting on the floor of the hallway with his eyes closed, humming to himself, and tapping his fingers silently against the floor.

"Hey, Demyx. I brought your key," Roxas said, and Demyx's eyes snapped open, and he grinned at Roxas, then saw Axel standing there, soaked to the bone, and raised an eyebrow.

"What's he doing here?" He asked.

"He let me use his umbrella since I was standing out there getting soaking wet, so I told him you probably wouldn't care if he came in and dried off a bit first before he has to go to work," Roxas said, and Demyx thought for a second before grinning widely.

"Well, sure! Of course he can," Demyx said happily, getting up from his place on the floor and holding out his hand for the spare key which Roxas placed in his hand. He unlocked the door, and all three walked in Demyx's small apartment. Roxas went into Demyx's kitchen and opened the fridge in search of something to eat, and Demyx walked out of sight while Axel just stood, dripping, in the doorway. Demyx returned moments later and tossed a towel at Axel's face. Axel caught it and started rubbing his hair dry after muttering his thanks.

"Hey, Roxas, get me something to eat too, will ya?" Demyx called to Roxas.

"No, you lazy bum! If you want something, then get it yourself," Roxas said, and Demyx rolled his eyes, walking into the kitchen after signaling for Axel to follow him. Roxas was already sitting at the small four-seater table eating a sandwich, and Axel took a seat beside him as Demyx opened a cupboard looking for some food. After a few moments of searching, he pulled out a box of vanilla wafers and took a seat at the table, opening the box and sticking his hand down in. He pulled out a few and shoved them in his mouth.

"So... Axew... Huwwo, again," Demyx said with his mouth full. Axel grinned.

"Hey... Uhm... Demyx, right?" Axel asked, and Demyx nodded.

"So, Axel," Roxas said, "What job were you going to today?"

"Dog walking," Axel said, scrunching up his nose. Obviously, this was not one of his favorite jobs. Demyx looked up confused.

"Dog walking? I thought you worked at that Halloween store?" Demyx said, shoving a few more vanilla wafers in his mouth.

"I do... but I've also got quite a few other jobs. I just get work wherever I can for however long I can. I'm normally pretty busy, but I'm also pretty likable, so people are normally nice about working around all my other schedules, or giving me the day off if I ask nicely enough," Axel said, grinning smugly. Demyx smiled.

"Awesome. I only have one job. I work at the pet shop. I love animals," Demyx said, grinning widely. Axel nodded.

"That's cool. What about you, kiddo? Got any jobs?" Axel said, looking at Roxas, who scowled at being called 'kiddo', but said nothing about it.

"Nope. I'm still at home with my parents. They make all the money in my house," Roxas said, sounding only slightly bitter. Axel chuckled.

"There's nothing wrong with that. I'm only two years out of high school, and I was in my parents' house until not too long ago," Axel said, and Roxas rolled his eyes, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"Well, I personally can't wait to leave. College is going to be great," Roxas said, and Demyx nodded.

"Yea. College is pretty awesome... Even though I've only been going to college for a few months, I still like it," Demyx said, laughing. They both looked at Axel expectantly, but he just shrugged.

"Sorry, but I dunno what to say. I'm not in college... Do you really think I'd have time for all those jobs and college?" Axel said, shaking his head.

"Hmm... that's true. Why didn't you want to go to college?" Demyx asked curiously, reaching his hand into his vanilla wafers box, and looking sad when he pulled his hand out empty. He turned the box upside down, but nothing came out other than crumbs. Scowling, he stood up and threw the empty box in the trash, returning to his seat moments later.

"It's not that I didn't want to... It's... Well, it's a long story," Axel said, and both Demyx and Roxas accepted this. Axel turned to look at the time on the small clock hanging the wall and sighed.

"Well, I better get going. It's about time I took off. I'll see you around guys," Axel said, scooting his chair out and heading for the doorway. Demyx waved.

"Bye, Axel."

"Yea. Bye, Axel," Roxas echoed. Axel waved and opened the door, walking out and shutting it behind him.

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><p>Roxas didn't see Axel for the rest of the day, and he would never admit, but he had kind of been hoping that he would run into the redhead soon. He was rather interesting. However, the one time he didn't expect to see him, was in the morning before school on Monday, when he was walking out to his car. Nevertheless, when Roxas went out to his driveway to drive to school that morning, he was more than slightly shocked to see Axel pedaling down his street on a bike with a bag on the handlebars containing a bunch of newspapers.<p>

"Axel?" Roxas called, unable to keep from shouting. Axel jerked his head around quickly when he heard his name called, and waved at Roxas, almost wrecking in a car parked by the sidewalk as he did so. He turned the bike and pedaled to where Roxas was standing in his driveway.

"Hey, Roxas. What's up?" Axel asked, leaning on his handlebars.

"Nothing, really, I was about to go to school," Roxas said, rolling his eyes.

"You seem so thrilled," Axel said, raising an eyebrow. Roxas shrugged.

"Well, no. Not really. I'm just ready to be done with school... So... Are you on a paper route this morning?" Roxas asked, and Axel nodded, slightly grimacing.

"Yea... twice a week, I think. I'm not really sure to be honest. I just did this job for the first time this morning..." Axel said, shrugging. Roxas nodded.

"Oh... Cool... Well, I'm gonna be late if I don't hurry up and get to school, so I guess I'll see ya later, then?" Roxas said, and Axel smirked.

"Of course ya will. See ya!" Axel said, pushing his feet off the ground and taking off down the street, throwing papers at the appropriate houses as Roxas got in his car and headed off to another boring day at school, with only one person on his mind: a certain redhead that seemed to keep popping up when he least expected it.

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><p><strong>And there ya have it, chapter 2! Reviews are much appreciated~ Whether you loved it, hated it, or just thought it was ridiculous, let me know~ ;D<strong>


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